Lindsay Lohan's Highs and Lows

"I feel really lucky and grateful to be here tonight, and that's why I want to thank all of my friends at 'SNL,' who trusted me enough to have me back," Lohan said.

Moments later, a security alarm blared when Lohan moved off the stage — a nod to her history of arrests.

"Wait, so the alarm goes off if I leave the stage? I thought it was only if I leave the studio!"

Lindsay Lohan Returns To SNL

Lindsay Lohan returned "Saturday Night Live" for the fourth time. NBC's Mark Barger reported that Lohan came back to Studio 8H, after prodding SNL honcho Lorne Michaels for the gig. "I want to poke fun at myself," she said.

(Published Sunday, March 4, 2012)

Within no time, Lohan's good-natured self-mockery got an able assist from cast members Kenan Thompson and Kristen Wiig.

When Wiig left for the wings, late-night host (and former "SNL'" cast member) Jimmy Fallon took the stage to announce the triumphant return of the "new old Lindsay Lohan" and praise her work in the Oscar-nominated "The Help."

"Everybody makes mistakes, but that doesn't mean you can't shake them off. You can do this—and if for any reason you can't, Jon Hamm is on standby as back-up host."

Cut to the "Mad Men" star sitting in the front-row of the audience, putting up his hands up in protest. (Hamm's recent "SNL" appearances, like those of Justin Timberlake, have made him a fan favorite).

Outside of the monologue, Lohan had the chance to flex some comedic muscles as Rapunzel in the parody "Real Housewives of Disney" and as a floozy psychic's assistant in an awards show sketch.

But for the most part, Lohan's infamous public persona was the episode's most prominent recurring theme.

As part of a bit set at a police station, Lohan played a tough-as-nails ex-con named Lindsay Lohan who intersperses her "scared straight" speech with references to her real-life film roles in "Herbie Fully Loaded," "Freaky Friday," "Mean Girls," and "The Parent Trap."